Consumption of world’s wealthiest people also making it increasingly difficult to limit global heating to 1.5C

We’re not going to achieve the 1.5C target. It’s just not going to happen. Yes, it might (might!) still be physically possible to limit warming to 1.5C, but it’s not economically, politically, or socially possible. The only way we could achieve 1.5C at this point would be if there was some major economic collapse or some other major crisis. There’s no real way we can reduce GHG emissions at the rate necessary to achieve 1.5C while the global population, global economy, and average per person consumption rates continue to grow at their current pace. Some might say it is theoretically possible, but I don’t really care if it is. We’re not looking for theoretical solutions, we’re looking for actual solutions, and I think the actual solutions get us somewhere between 2.5C and 3C.

Fedora, so missionary position, but the lights are on and we’re on top of the covers.

I’m sure there are a lot of complex reasons. Frankly, I don’t really care why other people don’t use Linux, I use it. Exclusively.

I think what this shows is that EVs are, as of right now at least, more status symbols than climate mitigation tools. While some people certainly do buy EVs because they care about the planet, many don’t really care all that much. I think this is also holding back mass EV adoption in the US. We need EVs to be seen as the sensible choice for the average person, not playthings for the rich and opulent.

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller later stated the US believes this step is “not productive at all” due to the UN’s role in the region.

Wow, we are really taking a firm stance here. Israel better be careful or we might become slightly miffed, or maybe even peeved.

Nintendo doesn’t want you to play their games if you’re not willing to follow their rules. Ok, that’s their prerogative, but that means I will not be playing their games…at least not their new ones.

I prefer playing on my Steam Deck these days, and I really don’t want to buy another handheld just to play Nintendo first party titles. I’m going to play some of my favorite classic Nintendo titles on my Deck using emulators and just not play the new stuff. I’m sure they’re great games, but so what? There are lots of great games. I’ve got a huge backlog of great games already in my Steam library, and 20 more on my wishlist. If Nintendo some day decides to make their titles available for Steam Deck or PC, I’d consider buying them, but since that’s extremely unlikely to happen, I think I’m just done with Nintendo.

Nintendo has burned through all the good will they developed with me when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. I doubt I’ll ever buy another Nintendo product again. Not that it matters to Nintendo, though. I’m many years removed from their target demographic. They make products for young people and that ain’t me. I’m sure those younger Nintendo fans will keep supporting the company, but, as for me, I’ve got the classic Nintendo games I want and I’ll keep playing them on whatever device I want. If Nintendo doesn’t like that, they can kiss my whole ass.

Makes sense. Steam OS is Arch based, so Valve has a vested interest in it. Especially now that the Steam Deck is an unmitigated success.

Global sales of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles rose by a yearly 20% in August, driven by record high sales in China…Increased subsidies in China for drivers trading in more polluting vehicles helped drive the EV sales jump in August

Of course parents not taking appropriate precautions doesn’t absolve the companies of responsibility. Unethical behavior is unethical behavior, even if there are things consumers can do to protect themselves from it. After all, the precautions wouldn’t be necessary if the companies didn’t engage in this behavior in the first place, so these precautions aren’t really solutions only mitigations.

The irony is, something like this probably would have been a lot less expensive to make, while also appealing more to fans. It’s funny how so many people in the movie business are not very good at, you know, the movie business.

Not to be hyperbolic, but this reminds me of when cult members describe the process of them becoming disillusioned with the leader until they finally decide to leave. I’m serious when I say that modern corporations, especially in tech, can often be quite cult like. There is often some charismatic, visionary, larger-than-life personality at the center. Many of the people who work at these companies aren’t so much employees as they are disciples. They are members of the leader’s cult of personality. Many investors, too. They have fully bought in to the leader’s vision, and some will follow their leader seemingly no matter what.

This person even has that kind of wistful tone of a cult member who had to leave the cult because they couldn’t ignore the leader’s increasingly problematic behavior anymore, but still believes in their vision and wishes things could have turned out differently.

There’s nothing wrong with having a vision or wanting to build a better future, but be very, very cautious about any movement centered around a single personality. In the case of Musk, the warning signs have been there for a while. I think the best representation of this was when Musk guest starred on the Simpsons almost ten years ago, and was introduced as “possibly the greatest living inventor!” It was the height of Musk propaganda.

I will never buy a Tesla, so long as the Musk cult exists. I’m sure Teslas are good cars, but I will not support the cult of Elon Musk. He is too dangerous.

When people are told that depression is an aberration, we are telling them that they are not part of the tribe. They are not right, they don’t belong. That’s when their shame deepens and they avoid social connection.

And that’s not the only reason people are made to feel they’re not part of the tribe, that they don’t belong. There are many things in this modern (post modern?) world that cause us to become alienated from other people, even and especially those in our own community. The nature of community itself has changed. Many relationships and social institutions feel more tenuous or impermanent.

It’s a vicious cycle: people feel alienated from others, it causes them stress, the stress causes anxiety, that leads to the immobilization response and depression, the effects of the anxiety and depression cause people to become further alienated from others, and the process accelerates and perpetuates.

Sorry, you’re all getting techno-feudalism.

Tesla’s have become much more price competitive, in those two segments (obviously that’s not the case in the truck segment, since the Cybertruck is the most niche of niche trucks). If you’re looking specifically for what Tesla is selling, it can be a great option. But, not everyone wants those models. Price isn’t the only dividing line, it’s also how it drives, styling and features, but also the brand. Companies like Ford and GM are pretty simple: they make and sell cars. Tesla is explicitly trying to disrupt the auto industry. I don’t think everyone wants to buy a disruptive product. I think Tesla has tried to “fix” problems that weren’t really problems, at least not for everyone. For instance, I don’t think most people were thinking, “I wish I could replace all the physical dials and switches in my car with a single, 20 inch iPad.” Or, “I don’t like how door handles work, let’s change them.” Tesla is clearly selling what some people want, I’m just not sure it’s what most people want.

Rivian and Tesla make products for a different consumer demographic than Ford and GM. Ford and GM make cars, Tesla and Rivian make tech products that drive. Some people want what Tesla and Rivian are selling: advanced, high tech machines that don’t look or operate like a traditional car, and some people want what Ford and GM are making: cars. Just cars. I don’t think most car buyers care all that much if their car is ICE or electric, as long as it’s affordable, easy and convenient, and meets their transportation needs. I don’t think EVs can replace ICE vehicles until they are just cars, that meet the needs of people who need a car (or truck).

I look at something like the Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck. It’s a good truck, that does truck stuff, with a lot of range and good power. But, it’s $80k. Most people just ain’t gonna spend $80K for a work truck. Some people will pay $90K to $100k+ for a high end luxury truck, like the Hummer EV truck or the GMC Sierra EV Denali, but those are high end vehicles for a relatively niche market. The mainstream options just aren’t quite there yet. Battery prices have to come down more, so that vehicles can be price competitive, AND, there needs to be more charging infrastructure.

That being said, there are options coming to the market that are getting close, like the Chevy Equinox EV or Honda Prologue. Those are relatively affordable, decent to good cars, that also happen to be electric. I think the only thing holding those cars back from wider scale adoption is charging infrastructure.

The level of paranoia is kind of crazy.

I will never buy a Tesla. Ever. I would buy an EV, sure, but never a Tesla.

One of the many games just sitting in my steam library, waiting to be played.

We just got a leaked image from inside Team Cherry: